Locking steering wheel



Aug. 30, 1927.

l H. D. GEYl-:R ET AL LOCKING STEERING WHEEL lFiled May 22. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet vl Aug. 30,1927. j 1,640,763

H. D. GEYER ET AL LOCKNG STEERING WHEEL Filed May 22, 192s 2 shets-sheei 2 W ES 'BS l {rivera-inns.

.. Ely 'uga le Patented Aug. 30, 1927.

HARVEY D. GRYER AND INLAND MANUFACTURING ,GOMPANXU DELAWARE.

Application filed May 22,

This invention relates to locking handwheels and is especially adapted for steering wheels for motor vehicles. l

One object ofthis invention is to pro-. vide a locking steering wheelwhich is of simple and ruggedconstruction, easilyop-y erated7 of good appearance', andv which gives the maximum of protection against thieves.A

Another Objectis to provide a safety device which will prevent any possible release of the locking means during driving, and in# cidentally will permit a weaker spring pressure against the locking bolt and hence ren-` der the lock more easilyV operated. j

Another Objectis the provision of acompletely encased mechanism for both holding the wheel against axial displacement and for rendering it rotatably fixed or loose upon its shaft, the same locking means-being used for both purposes.

Another` object is the provision. of an unbroken top surface through which no parts project at the center of theV spider thereby permitting av permanent writing pad to be placed there.V I

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the,Y following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of embodiment ofthe present invention is clearly shown.

1n the drawings: j Y

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a steeringwheel built according to this invention. Y

Fig?. is a side elevation'thereof. v

Fig. 3 is a vertical section vthrough thy center line of the wheehbut showing certain small parts in elevation. j

Fig. el is a plan view of the keeper member for the locking bolt. Y I

Fig'. 5 is a bottom 'view ofthe nut which j is threaded to the top ofthe steer-ing column.

Fig. 6 is aplan view of theY locking bolt` Fig. 7 lis a vertical section similar to Fig. 3 and shows a modified meansV for securing the. keeper member to the wheel tol prevent axial displacement thereof.

Fig. 8 isa plan view of the keeper member used with the modification shownv in hroughout the several views of the vdrawings. similar referencecharacters refer to similar parts.

The spider 10 is preferablyan aluminum casting, the hub and lock casing being pref-'f y and still be thief proof.

UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE- ALvA w. SCOTT, 0F DAY'roN,'oHro,'Ass1GNoRs To Tiniv oF 'IJAY'rorL` oHIo, A CORPORATION or LOCKING STEERING WHEEL.

1923. Serial No. 640,783.

houses all the mechanism of the wheel and prevents a thief Afromdrilling or -cutting through any parts ofthe lockor hub to release the locking bolt or toiX thefwheel 'non-7^ in any.

rotatably upon the steering lcolumn possible manner.

Thetaperedend of the .steering ycolumn 12 is shown-projecting from a stationary housing tubeg33 having abushing 341. fixed' in its upper end serving as a guide for the rotatable parts within it. However this in vention may be usedon a steering column havmgno housing tube 33 or bushing 34 A keeper member 13 is provided at its periphery with three radial recesses 16, intoa-ny one of which the slidoperated by' the ordinary'key 19. The lug 35 cooperates with a transverse slot/36 in,

the top-,of bolt 15 to throw vbolt 15 back or forward in a mannergwhich'will bevclearly understoodpfrom the drawings. A comprese sion spring 17 secured injplace byany suitable means, as ,bythelugs shown fin' F ig. 3,

presses-bolt rv15 towardsrkeeper 13 atall times and when key 19 is turnedto locking position causes thebolt15 to snap into the rst recess 16 which may register therewith.

fits snugly Vover the@ tapered end of column 12 and is keyed thereto by the .key v14l which fits in ajsuitable groovein keeper 1,3 as shown. `Keeper 131A A nut 20 is screw-threaded on the end of column 12 and prevents ykeeper 13 from b'eing pulled upv from the column. 'An annular disk 21 isA screwed to the forging 11 by f screws 22, thesedscrefws 22 of course being spacedaround the periphery so they do not interferewith 'the bolt 15, This disk 21 prof i jects under the shoulder .45 ofthe keeper 13 .and so prevents `the entire `wheel lfrom being pulled upwardly when theholt 15 is in its A hardened f back* or .unlocked position. plate 23 conceals plate'21 and its retaining lscrews `22 to prevent a thieffromiremoving llt terior, lasshowniin Fig. .3, 'before nut 20 or l keeper 513 :are put lin place.

Thea'ssemblycffthe wheel .upon the steering 'column i12 will now be described. The nut 20 is placed loosely in the recess in forging 11 yprovided therefor before the keeper 13 .is vinserted below lit and permanently heldin place lby .disk 21 and :screws 22, :and plate.23with2its1edge 24 turned into ygroove '25, .all as above described. The assembled wheeleis now'placedover the tapered column l2 with the key 14 in position, the top thread of -column 12 abutting the bottom thread of rnut20'. Bolt 15 is nextwi'thdrawn from its recess .116 Yby ythe 7key "19 vfar enough so the wheel may ibe revolved loosely around the keeper 13, `but leaving the lug`30 on the end :of .bolt '.15 :projecting into. the annular groove f3.1 around'the `top of keeper 13.v The nut 20 also has a small vlug 32 projecting downwardly `into `this annular groove 31, hence whenthe wheel:isturnedjloosely about keeper 13V-the lug 30 on 'bolt 15 -will strike lug 321011 vnut 20'fand'will thus -actas awrench to 1r0ta`te1nut v20 with the wheel until nut 2O is screwed home uponcolumn 12. yThe bolt 15 may now be ldrawn back its `*full travel by meansv of key 1-9-andv'thusgpeimitthe free rotation'of the wheel. When the key -19 Vis again turned gto Vmove-bolt -15 toward keeper 13, spring 17 will press the bolt against the outer fperiphery of keeper l13 until, as -the wheelrisfturned, it 4snaps into the `first Lrecess 16 which registers with fit. By providing three recesses 4"16 instead o'fv only 'one it is necessaryvto rotate the wheel -on`ly a'third of a revolution-at most, before one recess 16 will Vregister with bolt `15fand so permit the "bolt to snap in 'locked position. lColumn 12 ispreferablygiven'only a slight taper so thatthekeeper 13 will not come to a sudden l stop a-s it -isdrawn down-overcolumn 12 by the nut 20. Hence nut 20fmay 4`b`esuitably tightened upon its threads and yet not have thelug l32 fallbpposite any onefof fthe recesses 216. If lit should be unavoidable however to block out one of the recesses 16 by the llug 32,'theoth`er twogrecesses 16can lstill be=usedforlocking the bolt '1'5 Vto keeper13.-

A safety catch 40 vis 'provided -to hold `f`bolt 15 f positively vfin lockedV `position independ? entlyr of the pressure ofspring 117 andso prevent? accidental displacement thereof during driving. i Catch 40 is provided withfa compression:espring'44` acting :to press .it

downwardly at all times, and with a -thumb wing 41 whose bottom edge kbears upon a stationary cam surface 42. When it is desired to render the wheel loose the catch40V is drawn up by rotating the thumb ywing 41 upon the cam surface 42, a'fter which the Ybolt 15 may -be shot back by 'the key v19. In

so turning key 19 to shoot the bolt back, a

.projection 43 lon the rotatable lock barrel will engage wing 41 and rotate it back into a Yposition where it will :be free vof the cam surface 42.V However before the projection 43 engages wing 41 the bolt v15 Vbegins to move back and 'hence catch 40 vridges on the top surface of bolt 15 and `so is prevented from being pressed .down by spring 44 even after wing 41is free of ythe cam surface 42. The bolt l15 having been moved back 'its full travel, the key. 19 `may be withdrawn and the machine left with thelparts in this position.

When itis againdesired to use the machine safely ilocked in steering position. .Sincel catch 40 isautomatically moved .to its potential safety position whenfthe wheelis made loose, thek safety feature is not dependent upon the :memoryof the driver .to apply the safety catch. Y

`Possibly the greatest advantage of the safety `catch is that .it permits the use ofra quiteweak spring A17 and hence theilock will be very easy to operatevby meansof the small key 19. Vith a number -of vlocking Wheels now on .the market the key is very dillicult -to turn on account ofj'hav'ing to overcome ythe pressure of Ithe'sltrong spring which is necessary to hold Athe bolt in ylock osition.'v

IFigs. '7 and 8v show a modijcation'of .the

means for preventinga thief froml removingk the steering -lwheel from .the column v12, all lother parts of the wheel being as fshown in Figs. 1 to 6. vThe keeper 13 is provided with three radial holes 50 Vindwhichthe :pins 51 have a sliding t'. The forging y11 .is

provided with an annular groovel52 which will registerwith 'the radialv holes 50, and

-in which the projecting ends of the pins 52 may revolvewhen the wheel-is loose. Toassemb'le the wheelupon the column12: Insert the three pins 51 in the holes 50 until their outer ends are Hush with the periphery f .of 'keeper' 13, the inner ends of pins 51 of course `projecting within the centralgaperture as shownV inFig. 8. Next linsert the j nut .20 land the "keeper 213Y 'withinthe recess provided l.therefor in the forging '1'1 ,until holes 50 register with thegroove 52.

central aperture the pins 51 may be pressed outwardly into groove 52 until the inner ends of pins 51 are flush withfthe walls ofthe central aperture. The assembly is now placed over the tapered steering column 12 which` of course is provided with va key and keyway as in F ig. 3. The nut is screwed upon the threaded end of column 12 by means of.

the lug onbolt 15 engaging the depending lug 32 on-nut 20, in the manner described above for the other modifications. The column 12 abuts the inner ends of pins 51 and holds them in engagement with the forging 11. These pins lprevent the withdrawalA of the Wheel from the steering column,- and since they are entirely concealed they will be absolutely free from tampering at the hands of a thief. The recesses 16 in lreeper 3 are closed at the bottom as shown in Fig. 7 to render the bolt linaccessible from below.

The annular groove 52 preferably lies entirely below the recess in forging 11 for the bolt 15 to avoid any possible interferences between the bolt 15 and projecting ends of pins 51.

An important feature of this locking Wheel is its neat outside appearance. Since the locking mechanism takes' up only a small space `the wheel appears substantially symmetrical when viewed from above (see Fig. 1), and since no parts extend through the top surface of the hub portion this space has been utilized by suitably fastening therein a permanent memorandum pad G0. This pad is preferably slightly countersunk and is made of white roughened celluloid, pyrolin, or some similar material which is decorative and can be Written upon with pen or pencil and easily erased thereafter.

While the form of mechanism of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope ofthe claims which follow.

Vfhat we claim is as follows:

1. In a vehicle having a steering shaft, in combination, a steering wheel rotatably mounted upon said shaft, locking means for loclringthe wheel non-rotatably upon said shaft, a key lock for moving said locking means, a safety means independent of said key lock to positively hold said lockingY means in locked position, and means for automatically moving said safety means into safety position when the wheel is locked upon the shaft. y

2. In a vehicle having a steering shaft, in

combination, a steering wheel rotatably mounted upon said shaft, locking means for locking the wheel non-rotatably upon said shaft,-a key lock for moving said lockingI means, a safety means to positively hold said locking means in locked position, a manual kmeans for releasing said safety means to permit the release of said lockingmeans, and means for automatically moving said safety means into safety position when the wheel is locked upon the shaft.

3. In a vehicle having a steering shaft, in combination, a steering wheel rotatably mounted upon said shaft, a bolt for locking the wheel non-rotatably upon said shaft, a key Yloex for moving said bolt, a safety catch topositively hold the bolt in locked position, manual means independently operated vfor l releasing said safety catch, and automatic means for applying said safety catch when the bolt is locked.

4. Ina vehicle having a steering shaft` a steering Wheel rotatably mounted upon said shaft, a stop means fixed to said shaft for preventing the axial displacement of the wheel -o-nthe shaft, locking means for locking the wheel at will non-rotatably upon said shaft, and means associatedwithsaid locking means for rendering said stop means fixed to said shaft.

5.v In a vehicle having a steering shaft, a steering wheel rotatablymounted upon said shaft,al stop means rigidly fixed to said shaft and inaccessible from the exterior of the wheel for preventing the axial displacement of the wheel on the shaft, locking means for locking the wheel at will nonrotatably upon said shaft, and means associated with -said locking means for securing said stop means in operative position.

6. In a vehicle having a steering shaft, a steering wheel rotatably mounted upon said shaft, locking means for locking the wheel at will non-rotatably upon said shaft, stop means threaded to said shaft for preventingl the axial displacement of the wheel, and means associated with said locking means whereby Athe locking means may be used as a wrench for securing the stop means to said shaft or removing it therefrom.

7. In a handwheel and shaft locking means a head attached to said shaft, a nut threaded upon said shaft and adapted to hold the head thereon, ay Wheel whose hub is journaled upon said head and forms' a means for preventing access to said nut, a locking bolt for rendering said wheel ixedor loose upon said shaft, said bolt being adapted in one position to engage said nut whereby said nut may be assembled upon said shaft by the bolt acting as a wrench.

8. In a handwheel and shaft locking means, a head fixed to said shaft against rotational or axial movement thereon, a wheel `whose hub is journaled upon said head and mounted in a recess in said ihead fand pro jecting laterally from said head Iinto an annular groove on the inner yperiphery of said Wheel hub.

9. In a handwheel and sha-ft locking means, a head fixed to said shaft against rotational or axial movement thereon, a Wheel Whose'hub is liournalled upon said 'head and forms a housing for preventingaccess tosaid head, locking means for rendering saidwvheeil fixed or .loose upon said shaft, and means for holding said Wheel against axial Withdrawal from said head comprising com-pletely concealed means projecting* laterally' from saidhead into an annular' groove on `the yinner periphery of said hule.

10. In .a handwhee'l and shaft locking means,la head fixed to said :shaft against rotational, or axial movement zthereon, a Wheel whose yhuh is journaled upon Vsaid head and forms a. housingy `for preventing raccess -to said head, locking means for rendering said Wheel fixed or loose upon said shaft, and

means Vvfor holding said Wheel against axial Withdrawal from saidfhead comprising con- $5 and ladapted for attachment to said shaft,

anchoring` means Within said shell adapted to la-nchor said head upon said shaftfand lock operated means for controlling saidL anchoring" means whereby said journal head and anchoring means may be mounted in operative `position upon said shaftfwhile assembled Within said protective shell.

In testimony whereof We hereto affix our signatures.

' HARVEY D. GEYER.

ALVA 7W. SCOTT. 

